Rufbus initiative: Young people are fighting for better connections in Western Pomerania!

Rufbus initiative: Young people are fighting for better connections in Western Pomerania!

In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania there are always discussions about the connection of local public transport (public transport), and even now the voices are loud that urge improvements. Young and old in rural regions often struggle with the lack of accessibility of bus connections. The initiative to improve the call bus "Ilse" in Vorpommern-Greifswald is strong for a change. The initiative of Katapult MV has launched a petition to optimize the call bus system.

The idea behind the Ilsebus is to offer a flexible and needs -oriented transport system that also reaches small places. The initiative, mostly consisting of committed young people, wants to make the call bus more attractive by extending its operating times and demanding connections to other regions such as Anklam, Greifswald, island of Usedom and Volgast. The Ilsebus currently runs daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., but many would like to expand the operating times from 6:45 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

petition for a better connection

With its petition, which is aimed at the district council of Vorpommern Greifswald, the initiative strives to collect at least 2,000 signatures in order to contribute their claims to the traffic committee. The main concern is a complete crediting of the Germany ticket in Ilsebus, since only a discount of 10% is currently being granted in Vorpommern-Greifswald. In contrast, the use of the Germany ticket in the neighboring Mecklenburg Lake District is free of charge. [OpenPetition] (https://www.openpetition.de/petition/online/besses--rufbussystem-volle- Antal-des-d-tickets-im-ilsebus) supports the call and emphasizes that people without their own car or in an insufficiently developed community would benefit from these changes.

The argument is clear: improving the call bus offers could not only increase the participation of the rural population, but also bring positive climate effects. Access to a better integrated local transport system is one of the key to sustainable mobility in rural areas.

networking and cooperation

The situation could change soon, because the city of Greifswald already has its own call bus called "Friedrich". The initiative sees potential for cooperation here to avoid double structures and to create an even better local transport network together. It is also exciting that the Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV) has carried out a research project for sustainable mobility in rural areas. The resulting guideline “sustainably mobile in rural areas” contains numerous recommendations and examples of success that could also be of interest to Western Pomerania. Bmv.de reports that such concepts should combine, among other things, stronger line traffic and flexible means of transport.

The next few weeks will be crucial: Can the committed youth groups collect the required signatures? Will the initiators' concerns finally be heard? One thing is certain: the call bus Ilse could play an even more central role in the life of the people in Vorpommern-Greifswald.